I finally made my first batch of macarons! Yay! I'm so proud of myself! I was kind of unhappy with the results though. They didn't come out the way I wanted. But I'm just glad they had "feet." I thought the shell turned out too "crispy" and I wanted more of a "chewy" texture. But then again, when I ate one cookie, it was fresh out the oven. 10 hours later, they tasted great and not too crispy.
From what I've learned and observed, macarons are very temperamental. They're like the "
diva" of all cookies. Princess status for sure. I'm still pretty new at making these and still learning. But what I DO know is: you shouldn't "overmix" or "undermix" the batter. If you don't get "FEET" then you can't call it a "macaron." You have to let the "skin" form or the shells might crack. Oh man, there's so much more to list! You definitely need
A LOT of patience in order to make these cookies. Sometimes it can get really frustrating and intimidating. But hey, if you're determined then there's no point in giving up. Most of the times you just have to hope and pray they come out perfect when taken out of the oven. That's what I usually do. ;)
I tried taking a picture of every step. I forgot to take some pictures cause I probably had my hands full or something. lol. But I think you'll get an idea of how time consuming the process was.
This is the cream cheese filling I made. I just whipped all the ingredients together (powdered sugar, strawberry preserves, butter and cream cheese). Recipe was from my macaron teacher. ;)
Creating the "mass" by mixing the almond flour, powdered sugar, egg whites. I like to keep my ingredients all organized. Aren't my mixing bowls and prep bowls so cute? You're probably sick of all that pink, huh? lol.
Whipping the egg whites and sugar together to make a "meringue." (photo on the upper right)
Whip to a "medium-stiff" peak. (photo on the left)
I forgot to take more pictures after this step. I'm folding the "meringue" and "mass" mixture together (shown on the upper right photo). After I was done folding, I put the batter in a pastry bag and "piped" them on the silpat mat. (shown below). I also had to wait about 30 minutes for the "skin" to form. Oh and I also sprinkled some cocoa powder before baking.
Fresh out the oven. I let the shells cool down and carefully peeled them from the silpat mat. Got some parchment paper and placed the shells on top. (bottom right)
Next step is to find
two matching shells and "
marry" them. (photo on bottom left). I flipped one shell so I can pipe the filling on "flat" surface of the shell.
Once you're done piping the filling, "sandwich" the shells together. (photo on bottom right)
I was really surprised that they turned out nice! They turned out kinda flat but thats okay. At least the shell didn't crack. Look! They have tiny feet!
There goes my little friend! :)
Basic shell recipe from Namthip (my macaron teacher).
http://www.namthip.com/2010/04/cassis-macarons.htmlCheck out the rest of her blog. Its awesome!
Making macarons is all about technique. There are soooo many different ways to make a macaron. One reason I created this blog is to experiment with different techniques and recipes. I really like Mrs. Thip's technique! If you live in the Bay Area, you should totally take her class. Which reminds me...I still need to update my post from macaron class. :)
This is the cream cheese filling I made. I just whipped all the ingredients together (powdered sugar, strawberry preserves, butter and cream cheese). Recipe was from my macaron teacher. ;)
Creating the "mass" by mixing the almond flour, powdered sugar, egg whites. I like to keep my ingredients all organized. Aren't my mixing bowls and prep bowls so cute? You're probably sick of all that pink, huh? lol.
I forgot to take more pictures after this step. I'm folding the "meringue" and "mass" mixture together (shown on the upper right photo). After I was done folding, I put the batter in a pastry bag and "piped" them on the silpat mat. (shown below). I also had to wait about 30 minutes for the "skin" to form. Oh and I also sprinkled some cocoa powder before baking.
Next step is to find two matching shells and "marry" them. (photo on bottom left). I flipped one shell so I can pipe the filling on "flat" surface of the shell.
My home-made almond butter
